Apr 14, 2011

Isn't it dissatisfying when you buy a blueberry muffin thinking it's a healthy breakfast option and it's basically a sweet piece of cake with blueberries and lots of fat disguised as a muffin?

These muffins are low in calories and fat, high in fiber and good for you! Most of the fat has been replaced by applesauce which gives you a very moist muffin without all the added fat. You can make a half batch just as easily as making a whole batch if 12 muffins are too much for your household. I love them best fresh out of the oven, but I usually reheat them a few seconds in the micro the next day and tightly wrap any remaining with plastic wrap.

I highly recommend buying Bob's Red Mill stone ground whole wheat pastry flour if you like to bake. It's superb for baking muffins, cakes or cookies. If you only have regular whole wheat flour, you can do a blend of half white, half whole wheat and sift before using.

I did as the recipe suggested & used 1/2 regular whole wheat & 1/2 all purpose. I measured it, put it in a large bowl, sifted it (I used a whisk as I don't have an actual sifter & could not find one at Target) and then measured again. Muffins came out awesome. Even my 5 yr old loves these

Mmmm these look great--could I exchange fresh strawberries?? And would I use the same amount of strawberries as blueberries? I do have those on hand now. These need to already be in the oven. (giggle) But I will await your reply....with great anticipation. Again thanks for all you do for "us".

Pastry flour has a lower amount of protein so it absorbs less liquid. If you used regular whole wheat flour, you might want to decrease the amount slightly. Your muffins are going to be dryer and denser.

I am assuming that you used fresh blueberries, but would frozen work? I have ooooodles of them in my freezer that would be perfect to use! Also, if I would use them, should I leave them frozen or defrost before adding? Thanks...they look great! :)

I would think whole wheat flour should work ok, but the texture might not be as nice. These sound great - going to try them this weekend and compare to my current fav (using 1/2 whole wheat pastry, 1/2 white).

Funny. I just googled pastry flour this afternoon because I didn't know what it was. The website I found said you can "appoximate cake and pastry flour by adding 2 T. of corn starch to a scant cup of All Purpose flour." Don't know if it works the same with the whole wheat flour or not. I hope that helps.

These look awesome!! Do you think I could swap the blueberries for chocolate chips? My kids have been BEGGING me to make chocolate chip muffin and I have been on the hunt for a healthy AND tasty recipe.

I made these with half white and half wheat flour and I didn't have butter so I used 1.5 tbs of vegetable oil. I also had to bake them for about 30 minutes, 25 was not enough in my oven. I also sprinkled with brown sugar (like a pinch per muffin). They are really great, I'm enjoying one now with a cup of coffee. I'm not familiar with WW, so I don't know what that does to points, but they are awesome! My 1 year old loved them :) I LOVE this blog, thank you for sharing these delicious recipes.

I made these tonight, I'm not sure what went wrong. They came out very gummy. The toothpick was clean when I tested them after baking, and the blueberries were dry when I folded them in, and I was sure not to overmix the batter. I picked up a bag of the flour listed in the recipe tonight when I went grocery shopping so I did not substitute. I had high hopes and want to give these another try, any suggestions to avoid the gummy texture?

Gina do you know how I can substitute the sugar for Agave Nectar? I want to start to substitute this in all my baking but have no idea how ... I'm not sure if it's equal to sugar or if you have to add less or maybe increase/decrease cooking time. Any help you could provide would be wonderful!! Thanks for your help and all of your WONDERFUL recipes!!

I made these today and yum. I did the 1/2 white/wheat combo but the wet ingredients weren't enough so I added a good splash of orange juice (maybe about a half a cup? I didn't measure). V. tasty, thanks for the recipe!

I made these tonight and thought I didn't have sugar so I used Splenda instead (I found the sugar when I was cleaning up >.< whoops). They still turned out really well except for sticking to the wrappers. I added a touch of cinnamon because my family is nuts for it. Can't wait to take them to family dinner tomorrow night!

Thank you for all of your recipes. I can't even count how many I've made and loved!

Delicious! I used whole wheat white flour and frozen blueberries. One of the best muffins I have ever made and with only 2 TB of butter! Gina you are a genius! I have made so many of your recipes and have not found one yet that I don't love. Thank you!!!

i have these in the oven right now with some of the giant strawberries that are on sale right now in my neck of the woods. i can't wait to try them when they come out. We'll see if my boyfriend likes them since they are *healthy*! he doesn't eat most vegetables and fruits, but he usually will try things if i ask.

These are so good. I made them today and they still came out good even thou I did not have any baking soda. I used baking power (2 tsp) and omitted the salt. Next time I will made sure i have the baking soda and I expect them to be ever better than today's version. Thanks Gina!

I made these yesterday and they were excellent! To avoid the muffins sticking to liners I simply spray the tin with baking spray and forgo liners all together - works great! These muffins have a nice height, and are delicious! I halved the recipe and used ground flax seed mixed with a little milk for the egg. I will definitely make these again. :) Thanks for another excellent recipe, Gina!

Going to attempt these tomorrow, am in the UK so having to use sweetened apple sauce and regular whole meal flour as we just don't have the ingredients posted! Going to play around with the sugar and flour ratios and see what happens! Wish me luck! lol

I made these with 1/2 whole wheat 1/2 white flour and they were great. I also added about a 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed just because and I still found the wet ingredients to be enough. I have learned with muffins to ALWAYS spray the liners so they don't stick. Otherwise you lose half the muffin on it. Thought they were perfect!

I am enjoying one right now, fresh out of the oven....couldn't even wait for it to cool. It is delicious! I halved the recipe, substituted Egg Beaters for the egg, added a pinch of cinnamon and added a couple blackberries along with the blueberries. I only had 4 muffin liners, so sprayed them and the muffin tray and all muffins came out without sticking. Very quick and easy recipe, although I went to 3 stores before finally finding ww pastry flour at Whole Foods (should've known to check there first).

Ok. I*m not much of a baker at all. So I was wondering if anyone thought this would work. I wanted to make these muffins but I wanted to add coconut water from a fresh coconut and also shredded coconut. But I*m sure the added liquid fron the coconut water would make them too liquidy (right?) so I was wondering could I add that fiber powdered stuff to even out the liquidyness from the coconut water AND also just to add fiber? (Very amature baker here, I know the best way to find out would be to just make them but I hate to fail at a recipie I*m dying to eat! LoL) Thanks!!

Just made these with sifted half wheat/half white. I was worried b/c the batter consistency was a little gummy. I added an extra 1/4 cup applesauce--they turned out delicious. Also, I used frozen blueberries, just defrosted them in micro. So very moist and a really delicious, healthy flavor. Makes me feel like I did something great for myself today.

Hi Gina - I see that you mentioned you could use any pureed fruit instead of applesauce. Would this include mashed banana? I am craving a blueberry banana muffin and your recipe looks the best! (And, I have never been let down by ANY of your recipes!)

I'm dying to make these, but do not have butter in the house. Since I only need 2 TBSP, do you think I can't believe it's not Butter would work? Or vegetable oil? Or perhaps, half of each? Thank you in advance!

For the whole wheat pastry flour, I used a mix of atta and all purpose flour. (Slightly more than half atta, because I am almost out of AP flour. I have had good experiences baking with atta.) I added two extra tablespoons or so of applesauce. I didn't have white sugar, so I used turbinado (and sprinkled a tiny amount on top of each muffin before baking.) I also added a pinch of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Used frozen blueberries (thawed) instead of fresh.

Excellent! What a great recipe. Took them out five minutes ago and tried the first one. Really delish. Didnt have the WW pastry so I used 1/2 n 1/2 and sifted. Fresh blueberries are "bangin".Thank you again.

I have made these twice and they are absolutely delicious! I decided to make them without the liner papers the second time because I didn't like how they stuck the first time. This time I doubled the recipe, made two dozen and froze them, individually wrapped in plastic wrap. Now I just pull one out each morning and nuke it for about 30 seconds. I've got enough for a month's worth of breakfasts! I'm going to try modifying the recipe to make them Cinnamon Raisin for my mom who doesn't like blueberries.

I made this muffins this morning. They were great! I didn't have the flour you suggested so I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose. Love your site! I featured this on my blog too, http://kbearandco.blogspot.com/

These are wonderful! I tried them with fresh strawberries and slivered almonds and let the kids slather them up with some cream cheese, a delicious breakfast alternative and total crowd pleaser! Thank you for sharing!

I made mine with the 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup whole wheat, 1 tsp baking powder,1/2 tsp soda, 1 cup apple sauce, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup mixed rhubarb - strawberries (mostly rhubarb, 2-3 strawberries) and then 1 egg replacer egg (2 T water with 1 1/2 tsp egg replacer) then i added about 4-6 T of coconut milk. Delish. 122 calories I figured out, no butter or oil, just pure healthy. I thought about substituting the honey.... but it's actually more calories that way and we don't have a lot of honey. oops, forgot the vanila, but did add the salt. made about 11 muffins.

These look delicious & I'm definitely going to give them a go at the weekend. I'm trying to lose weight and I find breakfast can be difficult as a lot of cereals contain lots of hidden sugars. Just one question though - If I make a batch how long do they keep before spoiling & can I freeze them. Also can I make up the mixture the night before and bake them the following morning?

So I didn't have enough applesauce or blueberries so I did 3/4 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup orange juice. And I did 1 cup of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries. Lol kind of a quad-berry muffin. They smell great can't wait to have them for breakfast.

I didn't have whole wheat pastry flour, applesauce or enough blueberries lol. but I used half white/half wheat sifted, 3 mashed overripe bananas with 1/4 cup oj and i used about 1/2 cup chopped strawberries to supplement the blueberries. They were delicious! Even my ten yr old who thinks fruit is a vile thing ate them...lol.

I just found this website today as tomorrow, I'll start to eat healthy and try to lose weight (again).... This recipe has me drooling along with many others. I'm not a great baker but this will be my first recipe from this site. Thank you Gina. :)

I made these muffins with whole wheat flour (didn't realize there was a differnce). Clearly, I am not a very experienced cook, but they turned out awesome! They are a bit dense and don't have the smoothest texture. I still found myself inventing reasons to have just one more!

OMGoodness! I finally made these and they are amazing. I found your website a few months ago and have not been disappointed yet! Thanks for all the fun recipes and kid-friendly grub. Getting my 2 and 4 year olds to eat a nutritious mean has never been this easy! The chicken nuggets are now a mainstay in my house.

I just found your website this week and made your banana muffins. They were AWESOME! I do not have WW flour or pastry flour only all purpose can I use that since I have it on hand or do I need to go and buy ww pastry flour?

Hello! I just took these out of the oven and they are SO good! I used 1+1/2 cups whole white wheat flour and 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour....I only had chunky sweetened applesauce,so I just added two tablespoons of brown sugar. I put a ripe banana in it because it was a little gummy. Topped it off with a sprinkle of splenda on top and they turned out delish! Thanks so much!!!

Just found your website, and it looks wonderful!! I can't wait to try the blueberry muffins. Now to take the time and go through the rest of the recipes. I have just gone back to Weight Watcher so thank you so much for putting the point values on.

I made these yesterday, my first attempt at ever making muffins and they were really yummy although quite gooey inside, I probably did something wrong as I've not done it before! I was wondering though Gina, would it be possible for you to do a recipe for a lemon cake/muffin? As I don't see anything like that on here and it's mine/my boyfriend's favourite! Thank you. Great recipe you've inspired me to bake :)

Wow! When I put these in the oven I didn't expect much (the batter was an odd consistency) but they came out amazing! I only made a half batch and substituted a very ripe banana for applesauce (it was what I made on hand). Turned out amazing. The batter was very sticky like cookie dough which is what made me worry initially. Very glad to find a healthy recipe that is easily halved to make just 6 muffins. This is my first time to your site but I will definitely be back! Thank you!

Yum! Obviously the texture and size aren't going to be the same as the calorie- and fat-challenged Dunkin' Donuts classic I'm weaning out of my diet, but the blueberries are big, juicy and wonderful on every bite and I quickly got used to the WW pastry flour mixture. Because the crunchy sugar top is what I really crave on the DD version, I added 1 tsp of Sugar In The Raw to the top of each muffin, which only added 15 calories...it was actually too much sugar and I'm going to cut that back to a half teaspoon next time. Froze the batch and took to work with a bag of hard-boiled eggs...one egg and one muffin made a filling breakfast--pleased to report I made zero trps to DD in the food court this week. My kids loved them too, and were very sad I took them to work.

Gina, thank you again for another delicious AND healthy recipe. I made a half recipe of these this afternoon, subbed in Trader Joe's whole wheat white all purpose flour (1 cup less 2 tbsp) and used a full cup of fresh blueberries. I also added lemon zest to the batter and a sprinkle of white sugar and more zest on top. The taste of my Mum's muffins without all the guilt. Yum.

I just finished devouring one for breakfast. They were amazing!!! I too was a tad nervous about the consistency of the batter, but nonetheless they turned out perfect. I used an all-purpose flour and sifted it with a whole wheat one. The muffins had great height and were cooked perfectly. What a great muffin - thank you Gina!! Also, a thank you for the previous poster suggestions of spraying the liners so that they don't stick :)

I made these this morning and they turned out so good! I used 1/2 light whole wheat flour and 1/2 regular flour. I added milk because the batter was thick. I love the idea of using applesauce to replace the fat. I plan to use it to adapt some of my recipes to make them healthier. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

I just made these a few weeks ago and was skeptical since I've tried SO many "healthy" muffin recipes, only to claim them unedible! I was so happy with this recipe!!! It's a new favorite and my starting to be picky nine year-old keeps asking for them. Thank you for a wonderfully healthy blueberry muffin recipe :)

I make a very similar version of these muffins (using the half all-purpose flour & half whole wheat flour) but I'm going to try with the Whole Wheat Pastry flour next time...hope that gives them a softer texture. I'd highly recommend adding about a tsp of lemon or orange zest (or half of each, as I do when I have both in the fridge!) and a dash of cinnamon to the mix....the zest and the cinnamon give the flavor an amazing boost!! Yum!!

I have been making these once a week for a couple of months now.I use ww flour,I add 1/4 cup nutracleanse and I have used a variety of different fruit.Froze,Fresh and Canned.When the batter seems thick I just add more applesauce or some low fat milk.And I always use just egg whites.They are always delish!!

I just made these today for Easter brunch and boy were they tasty! My 3 year old son devoured his and immediately asked for more! I can't believe how healthy, yummy and easy they were to make. Definitely going to make these regularly.

This was the 3rd recipe I've made this weekend from your website and they were all winners! Thanks so much for all you do...

I just made these for breakfast and my three hungry kids devoured them! I substituted chopped apples for the blueberries and added a touch of cinnamon to them before folding into the batter. I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour and the consistency was fine and the muffins were moist. I also baked them in a "muffin top" pan instead of a traditional muffin pan. 18 minutes at 325 degrees and they were done. Thanks for another great recipe!

My daughter shared your website and I am loving it!! I made these muffins last night and they are wonderful! Best thing is-I don't have to feel guilty about eating them! Thank you for taking the time to slim down some awesome recipes! I can't wait to try more!

Ok..just made some with Strawberry yogurt in place of the apple sauce (Didnt have any) and a touch of almond milk..They look awesome and moist with the wholemeal flour as well..Will add another comment after tomorrow, when I eat one, as I have had almost my total amount of carbs for today.:)

These were delicious! I substituted 1/4 cup of the w.w. pastry flour with coconut flour (and added the addition 1/4 cup water). Yum! Might even try to sub. a little bit more next time. Also used 1 tbsp greek yogurt/1 tbsp butter. I split the batter up and also tried a triple berry frozen blend and just plain with chocolate chips. All were great!

Just came across your site so I haven't tried these yet. But I was looking for a low fat muffin receipe that wasn't complicated (I'm not a baker). This receipe seems to be what I'm looking for so Thanks! Also loved that you gave the nutritional info.

The first batch I made were a little on the thick side which made for a denser muffin. Tonight i am gonna try adding some yogurt and some extra fruit compote.

I subbed out the blueberries for the frozen mixed berries i had in the freezer. And used brown sugar instead of white (since one of my friends that I bake for doesn't process white so well in her tummy) they came out quite nice. I also added some cereal on top for a nice crunch. Solid recipe, after I add a little bit more liquid this will be prefect. <3 Thanks Gina

I just made these for breakfast and to bring to a "lunch". They are out of this world! The batter was thicker than I expected, but I ignored that issue. I used splenda because my lunch guest is type 2 diabetic, and when I make things with a sugar substitute they are happier I have not used regular sugar. I did want to add a comment on the egg beaters. I only use fresh eggs. I have recently read an article about new research on egg nutrition in the April 2012 issue of Runners World Magazine titled "Sunny side up". They detail new information about egg nutrition and how eggs, and even their yolks help create a healthy heart. "Numerous studies have debunked the link between eggs and heart disease. In fact, research shows that eating several eggs a week results in cholesterol particles that are less likely to spell cardiac trouble. What's more, a unique protein found in egg yolks blocks platelets (the cells responsible for blood clots) from clumping together inside blood vessels, thereby minimizing heart-attack risk." I am not a runner, but my daughter is, so that is where I read this article. I am a weight watcher's member, and I did notice that by using the splenda, the points were lowered to 3. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and a wonderful site. I just crossed the 80 pound weight loss marker last week!

These are yummy. I also alter these to lower the calories and they are still yummy....here is the alteration:used sweet-n-low brown sugar, splenda sugar, and no fruit....still tastes awesome...I am currently trying it with almond extract to see what I get.....used splenda, no fruit, & smart squeeze butter...still yummy to my family....

Hmmm, I tried these and I followed recipe exactly as is. They looked amazing, smelled great but they didn't have much taste. They almost remind me of a bran muffin. I think I will try it next time with a few modifications (like sprinkling some raw sugar on the top so that it will crust). Maybe that will help with the flavour. I think my favourite muffin recipe that you have posted is the pumpkin spice muffins....they were perfect consistency and sooooo tasty!

I made these with gluten free flour excepting it to turn out like crap. Its difficult baking with gluten free flour blends. To my surprise they turned out fabulous. I mean FABULOUS!!!!!!!!! Best gluten free muffins I've ever made.

Dear Gina, I have a question - I don't seem to have enough muffin batter to make 12 complete muffins; am I doing something wrong? And the batter seems to be really thick; I'm using whole wheat pastry flour and 1 egg as in the recipe. Please advise, otherwise they are terrific!

this is a great recipe I've made before but this time I traded blueberries for strawberries and replaced the same amount of applesauce for smashed bananas... called them stawberry and banana muffins and my kids liked that. Thanks... would have never thought of doing that on my own if i hadn't baked a number of your recipes. :)

So i know this is a rather old post but I just discovered this site! I am so excited to make these muffins as I am always looking for low calorie options for delicious treats. One quick question, this calls for baking soda, do we need any kind of neutralizing acid agent such as milk so the muffins don't come out bitter or does the apple sauce already take care of that?

My 10 yr old daughter and I made these today. We used half white have wheat sifted flour and kept all other ingredients. The mixture was dry so we added about 2T water. They turned out so good! We will all be enjoying them for breakfast this week.

These turned out beautifully! I doubled the recipe, and substituted Splenda for sugar (husband is diabetic). They stick to the papers, but you will find a way to get it off because they are so delicious! I will keep 60 pounds off! Thank you for helping!!!

I have always shied away from recipes that call for whole wheat flour (perhaps due to dense pastry nightmares from my youth), but I decided to go for it for this one. Got the Bob's Pastry flour (my first ever whole wheat flour purchase) and this recipe is amazing!

OMG... I just made these and couldn't believe something so good could be low fat!! I did the same as the person above.. I used half wholewheat and half white flour, added a little bit of milk because it was a little dry and I used mashed bananas instead of applesauce thanks for letting us know a good substitute!I LOVE all your recipes... you have definitely been one of my motivation factors for eating healthy! Thank you!!!

Thanks for this recipe; it's awesome! I made a few changes that worked out great: Frozen blueberries, 1 & 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour and 1/4 cup wheat germ, and cut the sugar in half. The blueberries and applesauce added a natural sweetness to the muffin that I think compensated for the reduced sugar. Yummy! :)

I just made these and made mini muffins instead of full size muffins. They're good...not sweet...so if you like a sweet muffin, you may not like them...but with minis, you can eat more with less guilt! LOL

I just made these... they were great. I used organic whole spelt flour instead of the pastry flour it calls for. Added a good splash of milk and mixed it in well. 25 minutes on my oven.... made 14 good sized muffins. My 4 year old loved them and so did hubby... def a keeper!

I made these this morning with half whole wheat flour and half white and the first batch FAILED. Very heavy and gummy :/ I made a second batch because I loved the flavor and those turned out MUCH better with some adjustments. I used 1 1/4 cup white flour, 3/4 whole wheat flour, added an extra 1/2 cup applesauce and 3 TBS milk to break up the thick batter a bit better. Everything else I followed to a T! I also nixed the muffin wrappers because my first batch stuck to them so horribly. This time I just sprayed PAM in my muffin tins and went nude ;) So glad I gave them a second try!! The kiddo even likes them <3

I've made both these and the Insanely Good Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins and I have to say I actually prefer these. They're not super sweet, which I really like, and have a texture similar to bran muffins. What's best is they reheat very well in the microwave, not gummy at all!